Suffer by E.E. Borton

argue with him.”
    “Thinking about that is what keeps me going,” said Paul with a bigger smile. “I already miss being close to her, so you guys are going to have to haul ass to beat me back to Miami.”
    “Dude, we are not going to beat that boat,” said Evan. “Even if we didn’t have any stoplights, that thing is just too fast. Did I ever tell you that I love that machine?”
    “Every time you climb on board,” said Paul. “I can’t wait to get back on her. Kate and I would plan on going out for an hour and end up spending the night in a cove. She loved our adventures. Neither one of us had a care in the world when we were jumping waves at fifty miles per hour. That woman is fearless.”
    “Well, we’re not on the water so keep your eyes on the road,” said Evan as Paul turned to look at him when he spoke.
    “At least Kate is fearless,” said Grey.
    The trio pulled into the marina and dropped Paul off at the café at the end of the docks. Evan and Grey continued to the villa to recover the boat and bring it to Paul. Grey contacted Chief Tony Hill of the Sugarloaf Police Department a day earlier to gain access to the property. He called him as they left the marina.
    “ Agent Collins. I take it you’re close .”
    “We are. Is this a recorded line?”
    “ Nope, this is my cell. Let me guess, you want information about Mr. Kirsk .”
    “You’re damn near clairvoyant, Chief. What can you tell me?”
    “ Not much, I’m afraid. We know he’s a piece of shit, but other than that, Sheriff Doyle would be the man to ask. He’s kept us in the dark as well. Sorry, Grey. Wish I could tell you more. ”
    “Do you have his home address or know where they found his body?”
    “ That I can give you. I’m a little old fashioned, so I don’t want to email his file to you. Doyle has a high tech chokehold on information. Kirsk was arrested down here a few years ago for theft, so we have our own records on him .”
    “Perfect. Any chance I can buy you lunch at the marina in an hour and take a peek at his file?”
    “ See you in an hour ,” said Chief Hill, ending the call.
    “What are you up to?” asked Evan.
    “Getting involved,” said Grey. “Don’t tell Paul we’re meeting the chief.”
    A police cruiser blocked the entrance to the villa driveway. The officer verified their IDs and let them pass. They parked beside the house near the steps leading over the dune to the boat dock. Neither man felt compelled to even look at the house as they walked toward the beach.
    Evan helped launch the boat and drove the car back to the marina. Grey took his time maneuvering the large craft away from the dock and out of the cove. It was the first time he had ever piloted the machine solo. When he reached open water, he couldn’t resist the urge to push the throttles and lurch the boat skyward as the engines roared to life. A few seconds later, the boat planed out and the coastline flew past him in a green blur. With the water resembling a sheet of glass, he understood why Paul wanted to spend a few hours alone on the water with the other love of his life. He covered the short distance to the marina in ten minutes.
    “You punched it, didn’t you?” asked Paul as Grey inched the boat into the slip.
    “How could I not?”
    “Cut the engines,” said Paul. “Let’s have a drink before I take off. I want to savor this moment.”
    “Sounds perfect,” said Grey.
    “What a day, huh?” said Evan, bringing three cold beers from the bar to their dockside table. “It’s flat as a pancake out there. There’s no way we’d come close to beating you back.”
    “I plan on taking her out a little bit to give you guys some time to catch up,” said Paul. “I’ll have the satellite phone turned on, so call when you’re about thirty minutes from the restaurant. If for some reason you can’t reach me, I’ll make sure I’m there by at least sundown.”
    “Take your time, buddy,” said Grey. “I’m sure Evan can